Top 10 WTF Spider-Man Villains

VO: Adrian Sousa
WRITTEN BY: Michael Wynands
The world of Spider-Man is home to some of the most iconic comic book villains of all time. But with so many Villains there's bound to be some that'll leave you scratching your head. These are the Spider-Man villains that had fans saying "WTF?"
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Spidey’s rogues' gallery has certainly included some rather odd individuals over the years. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 WTF Spider-Man Villains.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the weirdest, most intense or just completely whacked out villains to ever face off against Spider-Man in the comics. Please note, villains who eventually turned hero will be considered.

#10: Swarm

Spider-Man has faced off against villains made of some pretty weird things over the years. Sandman’s body is made of sand, Hydro-Man’s body can transform into a water-like substance, and The Thousand is, well… a thousand spiders wearing skin. But the less said about that nightmare fuel the better! Swarn earns his place amongst this strange company by being a human consciousness spread across a colony of bees numbering in the hundreds of thousands. We know what you’re thinking, spiders are way scarier, but wait… Swarm is ALSO a Nazi. Yes… this villain is a Nazi whose body is made up of bees. Have fun with that one Spidey!

#9: The Spot

Don’t let the unassuming and bland moniker fool you; this evildoer means business. Sure… he looks like a reject from an ill-conceived live-action adaptation of “101 Dalmatians” in which the dogs are played by humans, but those spots are more than just for show. A discovery gone awry led Dr. Jonathan Ohnn to become covered in black sports that are, in fact, warp portals into another dimension which he can effectively use for teleportation. With his removable spots, he can transport himself, objects or even -much to Spidey’s chagrin- heroes! With his bizarre abilities and even odder appearance, The Spot definitely makes readers do a double take.

#8: Shathra

This Spider-Man villain gets a leg up on the competition by appearing in a story arc that is itself pretty strong in terms of the WTF factor. Unlike some of his fellow Marvel heroes, Spidey rarely engages with the occult or supernatural, preferring to tangle with technological villains, mutants and other scientifically-enhanced beings. During this divisive storyline, Spider-Man’s abilities are revealed to be connected to totemistic supernatural forces; he carries in him the powers of the spider-totem. Weird, right? Well, not as weird as Shathra, a being from the astral plane. As the “Spider-Wasp”, Shathra’s goal is to feed Spider-Man to her unholy offspring. Creepy.

#7: Kangaroo

The animal kingdom consists of many fascinating creatures, each with their own unique abilities. That being said, we really don’t need a comic book character inspired by every single one of them. Wolverine? Awesome! Batman? Heck yes! Kangaroo? Not so much. Created during the less self-serious early days of Spider-Man, Kangaroo befuddles even the most open-minded modern reader. Australian Frank Oliver vacationed amongst the kangaroos, living and eating with them. This is apparently where he got into boxing and learned to jump like a kangaroo - an ability later scientifically improved to take him to greater heights. No… we aren’t making this nonsense up. Even more shocking, another villain later took up his mantle.

#6: (Red) Vulture

You’d be forgiven for dismissing this character as yet another forgettable spin-off or legacy version of a more popular villain. And to be fair, at first glance he does simply look like little more than a maniac in a red version of the vulture costume. But whereas Adrian Toomes is an aging thief with wings and a hooked nose, James Natale, the Red Vulture, really lives up to the name. Vultures are scavengers who eat the bodies of the dead or injured. After being forcefully turned into a human-vulture hybrid by his boss, Natale gained mandibles and acid-spit, went rogue, and developed a taste for flesh. You heard that right… the dude’s a cannibal.

#5: Big Wheel

Jackson Weele is a special sort of villain. Though Spidey’s rogue’s gallery features many mechanically-assisted or technologically-powered evildoers, few have employed something as distinct or impractical as “Big Wheel”. This villain literally rides around in a giant armored and weaponized monowheel. There are so many flaws with this approach to villainy that we don’t even know where to start, so how about you use your imagination to fill in the blanks? Making matters worse, Jackson legally changed his name to Axel Weele, because apparently having a silly villainous moniker wasn’t enough for him. In this case, the WTF is for “WTF was this guy thinking?”

#4: Spidercide

The ‘90s was a decade of excess in comic books. Everywhere you looked, writers and artists were pushing to make things more extreme, be it giving the characters absurdly jagged, impractical costumes in the vein of Spawn, loading them down with pouches like Cable or just giving them obnoxiously edgy names. In the pages of Spider-Man, there was arguably no single character more guilty of ‘90s excess than Peter Parker clone, Spidercide. Oversized, impossibly muscular and rocking a completely unnecessary set of impractical boots, this character was all style, no substance. Why can he stretch like Mr. Fantastic? Molecular control… clone... something-something. What a mess!

#3: Typeface

Think the Spot suffers from poor designs choices? Get a load of this guy! We can literally find the letters W, T, and F on his face in certain panels. A Vietnam vet dissatisfied with his lot as a sign maker after coming home, he turned to a life of supervillainy and believe it or not… he didn’t fall into this persona. He actually crafted it for himself. Typeface uses various weaponized letters as the tools of his craft. Though he would eventually turn over a new leaf and try his hand at the vigilante/hero thing, he debuted as a villain, and he’s simply too weird to leave off our list.

#2: Mindworm

Mindworm’s oversized cranium is certainly notable, but it’s his messed up life story that lands him on the podium. Born William Turner, the unfortunately named Mindworm never had things easy. Blessed with a high-level intelligence, he accidentally killed his mother with his mental abilities as a kid; the shock led to his father’s death. After a tough orphanage upbringing, he used his powers, which included draining mental energy, mind reading and illusion-casting for minor acts of villainy. Sadly mental health issues were also a factor. Despite trying to put crime in his past, he eventually became homeless and allowed himself to be killed by a street gang. Seriously Marvel? Why so freaking bleak?

#1: Chtylok, the Che-k'n Kau

What do you mean you’ve never heard of Chtylok the Che-k'n Kau? He’s a LEGENDARY Spider-Man villain! Okay, that’s a lie. More accurately, he’s only ever appeared in about 3 issues, but on the WTF charts, that’s all it takes. Chtylok is a prehistoric creature, once treated as a god by the people in the Savage Land. Oh, he’s also got the head and torso of a chicken on the body of a cow. After awakening from his slumber, he proves himself by throwing down with none other than the Hulk, while Spidey tries to solve the larger issue at hand. Chtylok is a being of few words but he makes a lasting impression nonetheless.